K5RC wrote:
snip.......
>I had the privilege to know W4KFC and he was one of the true gentlemen
>of ham radio and earned a "clear frequency." I can't speak for K5LZO
>or N6RO, but I believe that we enjoyed our golden era of SS and fervently
>hope that the current crop of competitors enjoy it as much as we did.
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Contesters, Now for the rest of the story!
About 40 years ago in Northern Virginia and sweeping north over an
area of hundreds of square miles was a grove of mighty oak trees. The
chilling gale force November winds would blow up this eastern seaboard
signaling it's time. You could actually hear their rustling brown leaves
wispering it's time, it's time.
As I walked through this natural treasure-trove, I couldn't help to
notice each one had a bronzed qsl attached and each of these Oak's was
a member of FRC or PVRC. In a small clearing surrounded by these mighty
Oak's was an omnipresent Redwood. The lowest branchs of this Redwood
towered above the canopy of the Oaks, as I looked up at the Redwood's
bronzed qsl it said W4KFC.
Hundreds of miles to the north a young neophyte was preparing for his
first contest, how could he worry about dupesheets when he didn't know
what a dupe was. Tuning across 80 meters he came upon the loud CQ SS
of W4KFC, Vic was certainly pinning his S meter, if he only had one.
Listening to Vic operate was like looking as Moses parting the Red Sea.
At the same time unbeknown to the neophyte, W9TO was listening to that
same fist of W4KFC, "TO" was so overwhelmed at this perfection, that
he spent his remaining years designing a circuit to emulate Vic's fist.
Also during this time a young Japanese engineer named Yaesu listened to
Vic's signal, he also spent years, developing a radio to have a cw note
sound as distinctive as Vics.
As the years passed and while in high school, the neophyte started to
enjoy classical music, especially the 1812 overture. The 1812 overture
was several minutes of music imitating 40 hours of SS. When the cannons
were thundering he visualized W4KFC throwing that plate switch on and off
in his final four hour sprint to victory on Sunday night.
The neophyte went off to college in 1960 and was in and out of radio over
the next dozen years, mostly out, as he got on with his lifes work.
By happenstance in 1973 this now older neophyte ended up at the Dayton
HamVention, and on the upper floors of the run down
Biltmore-Stouffers-Crowne Plaza was an almost contest suite. Towering above
the many Oaks who were
present was the mighty Redwood. Vic was a very tall man in stature with an
out going personality to match and I couldn't forget that perpetual beaming
smile. There was something special in meeting Vic, he overwelmed you with
his was warm sincere friendliness. As I talked to him and as others came
over to say hello, he would introduce me to my other heroes as his good
friend, even though we had just met minutes before.
Vic has been gone for sometime now, but if you ever worked Vic or met
him, he really did consider you a good friend. I know that there are
many on this reflector while doing contesting internship in qso parties
in their younger days, were often amazed to hear W4KFC answer their cq
test and give them words of encouragement.
Many of the Oaks are also gone, the epitaph they wrote, and the
sportsmanship they exihibited is missed.
Sincerely,
dr. Bafoofnik
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